InnFocus Fall 2023

Get Outside Help and Build Relationships
Building and maintaining respectful relationships is at the core of
working with Indigenous groups. “We build relationships before
we build partnerships. Getting to know one another on a personal
level not just professional is huge,” says Frank Antoine, Chief of
Bonaparte First Nations and Co-Founder and CEO of Moccasin
Trails. Present it as a business proposition to First Nations groups.
“This is who we are, we’re in your territory, and we want to work
with you more closely,” adds Antoine.
“You can’t do it on your own,” Pilbeam says. “Reach out to
your local First Nations community and find good partners. Be
open and authentic in
what you’re hoping to
achieve. Think about
the little pieces you can
implement. Don’t sit
there and try to create
a massive ‘Indigenize’
plan. Invite your partners to lunch and have a conversation. Build
authentic partnerships and respect. It becomes much easier to
ask those uncomfortable questions and have dialogue.”
Moccasin Trails
Pilbeam and Antoine first crossed paths over seven years ago
when Antoine was employed at Quaaout Lodge & Spa at Talking
Rock Golf Resort.
Today, Antoine and his co-founder Greg Hopf run Moccasin
Trails, an Indigenous-owned and operated company that guides
guests on sustainable journeys that the Interior Indigenous
Nations have made for generations.
Their canoe, walking journeys, and other cultural experiences
are led by knowledge keepers that share and strengthen their
connection to Indigenous land and culture through songs, stories,
ceremonies, and language.
Build authentic partnerships
and respect.
Beginning this fall, Moccasin Trails will be doing more work
with hotels, helping to ‘Indigenize’ them and better understand
the history, culture, and First Nations people around them. “We
want to help welcome the local people involved in that area. It is
not just another corporation coming in,” Antoine says. “There is
a lack of community spirit and we want to revitalize that.”
Practical Next Steps
Here are some practical next steps hoteliers can take to recognize
and work with Indigenous groups:
1. Language is Important.
It is important to show whose
land you are on by saying it,
writing it, and displaying it.
“Learn the words before you
write them. Oral history is
how we learn our languages,”
Antoine explains.
2. Incorporate Something that is Part of the Land.
From artwork and food to beverages and soap, numerous
opportunities exist to incorporate products connected to the
land. For instance, at the Delta Hotels Kamloops, every room
has dreamcatchers behind the bed, which are made by a local
Indigenous artist. “People love it and talk and ask about it,” says
Pilbeam.
Consider incorporating ethically sourced sage in a cocktail
or hosting a dinner with an Indigenous chef featuring local
Indigenous products. “It is in all the things—the artwork, food
and beverage, the way we communicate and share. We are only
a small step of the way there. It is something that takes time,”
Pilbeam explains.
22 InnFocus